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I don’t do crying.
But the sight of a broken Penelope crushes me.
Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pull her against my chest to soothe her. She drenches my shirt with her tears and snot.
“You don’t deserve that, Penelope. I’ve only known you for a few days and I already know you’re a good person. My mom and Sally might be starting to like you more than me.” That gets a small chuckle out of her. “Some people just suck. Plain and simple. But no one deserves to be betrayed by the person they love. I’m so sorry this has happened to you.”
I can’t say anything that will fix it, so instead of trying, I let her cry it out. I just hold her. We sit like this for a while, with her head on my chest and my arm wrapped around her.
Once her sobs slow down and her breathing levels out, a thought pops into my head. Something that might take her mind off this.
“Hey,” I say into the top of her head. “Want to come to my house and watch a Christmas movie?”
Her head pops up and she looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. Her cheeks are blotchy. And at that moment, I would burn the world down to make her feel better.
“Really?” she asks.
“Sure. I usually only watch Christmas movies when Nora makes me but I’m willing to sit through one if it will cheer you up.”
“Wow, you really know how to sell something. You missed your calling in life.”
“What can I say, it’s a gift,” I say as I rise from the couch and bow exaggeratedly. This makes her laugh.
I offer a hand to help her up. She stands, shrugs out of my coat, and hands it back. I stride to the front door and grab a blanket from mom’s basket. She keeps throw blankets for the guests. I hand it to Penelope, and she wraps it around her shoulders like a cape.
“Don’t tell me you’re coming over looking like that,” I say, holding back a laugh. “I don’t know if I can be seen with someone in a cape.”
She punches me in the arm, and I pretend to be injured. “Ow! Now I have to cancel because my arm is broken, good job.”
“You don’t need your arm to watch a movie, idiot. And yes, I’m wearing this blanket because it’s cold out there, duh.”
“You’re the one who thought it was a good idea to come out front without a jacket or real shoes on. You don’t need to tell me it’s cold.”
I love when she smiles.
“Okay, give me a few minutes to make sure Nora is all good and you can ditch the blanket if you want, I have other ones at my house if you are still cold.”
Laughing, she leads me to the front door and tells me she’ll see me soon. I make my way across the yard to the guesthouse and quietly slip inside.
With the Christmas tree all lit up and the decorations Nora and I put out, it hits me how much I love this little home of ours. It definitely isn’t much. I have a feeling, based on the luggage she carries and the smell of her perfume, that Penelope is used to luxury, butthisis home. I wonder what she’ll think of the place. If she’ll find it as cozy as I do.
Picking up a few stray pieces of clothing on the way to the bedroom, I stop at Nora’s door and check that she’s still asleep. I gently pull her door closed so we don’t wake her, throw the dirty clothes in my room, and make my way back to the kitchen.
Grabbing my kettle, I begin boiling water for hot cocoa.
A soft knock sounds at the front door.
She’s here.
Chapter Fourteen
Penelope
WhyamIsonervous?
It’s just a Christmas movie… Sure, it’s with a man who’s so hot I’m breathless at the mere sight of him, but it’s an innocent movie.
I mean, I’ve gone on dates with some of the hottest celebrities before settling down with Drew. But I’ve never beenthisnervous.
